NOTE: As of July 1st 2009, HCSNet's funding programs are now all closed to further submissions. These pages remains here for historical interest.

1 Overview

HCSNet provides financial support for the organization of workshops through its Workshop Support Program. The aims of the Program are to push forward thinking on important topics and issues in Human Communication Science, and to encourage new and surprising intersections between disciplines, by bringing together Network Participants in fora that encourage discussion.

In line with these aims, HCSNet funding is not available for any event that is an instance of ongoing series of events (for example, 'the Nth Workshop on Topic X'); in most cases, HCSNet-funded workshops will be events where specific interdisciplinary interactions are pursued for the first time in an Australian context. HCSNet does not usually provide funding for workshops that are satellite events to larger conferences or other events, since these cause complications with branding and registration issues.

Funding is only available for events that take place in Australia, and the principal organisers of the event must be HCSNet members based in Australia.

Funding for workshops is allocated on the basis of competitive applications. There are two stages to making an application: first, you need to submit a short expression of interest, on the basis of which the Workshops Committee will determine whether the event is of a kind that HCSNet might consider funding. If the Committee determines that the proposed workshop does fall within HCSNet's scope, you will then be invited to submit a full proposal that includes a detailed budget and other specific information.

Expressions of interest are considered on a quarterly basis; the closing dates for each quarter in the current year are listed further below.

HCSNet provides funds for two categories of workshops:

• A designated HCSNet Workshop is an event whose sole or primary source of funding is HCSNet. A maximum of $15,000 can be requested for an HCSNet Workshop.

• A designated HCSNet Co-sponsored Workshop is an event whose costs are shared with another organization. Up to $10,000 can be requested for an HCSNet Co-sponsored Workshop.

In each case, the purpose of HCSNet funding is to make possible an event that would otherwise not take place, for example by defraying the cost of attendance of Network Participants and paying the costs associated with bringing an invited speaker from overseas. For each category of workshop, an additional Student Support Grant of up to $5,000 may be requested for support specifically targetted at student attendance.

2 Scope and Format of Workshops

Workshops should address some specific topic or issue that is of interest to the HCSNet community, and the proposers should provide a description of the event that makes clear why the topic is an important one. The topic should be broad enough to guarantee an audience of at least 20-30 HCSNet members.

A typical HCSNet workshop is of two days duration, attracts 30-40 participants, and features one overseas keynote speaker, a number of presentations by participants, and a student poster session; however, it is up to the organizers to propose a format and structure what will work best for the topic area of the workshop.

It would be appropriate for a workshop to include a panel or discussion session that is focused specifically on producing the workshop's Outcomes and Directions Report, described further below.

3 Conditions of Funding

Receipt of funding for either an HCSNet Workshop or an HCSNet Co-sponsored Workshop imposes specific requirements on the organizers of the workshop.

1. The workshop title should be of a form that highlights HCSNet's sponsorship of the event: two typical forms are exemplified by Music as Human Communication: An HCSNet Workshop on the Science of Music Perception, Performance and Cognition and HCSNet Workshop on Effective Interactive Interfaces.

2. Acknowledgement of HCSNet's support should appear prominently on any materials associated with the workshop. In particular, any material advertising the event should clearly indicate that the event is an HCSNet Workshop; and the HCSNet logo and name should be visible at the workshop itself and on any publications, such as workshop proceedings, arising directly from the workshop. Electronic images will be provided, as will specific advice on how HCSNet support should best be acknowledged.

3. The event should be advertised via the HCSNet electronic newsletter, and be open to all Network Participants.

4. The workshop must deliver outcomes that advance thinking on the topic or issue addressed by the workshop. At a minimum, a 5-10 page Outcomes and Directions Report is required, as detailed below; other forms of publication are also strongly encouraged.

50% of the awarded funds will be provided prior to the workshop, and 50% on provision of the Outcomes and Directions Report and all required financial paperwork after the event has taken place.

4 Budgetary Matters

The specific details of the budget required for an HCSNet workshop will vary depending on the circumstances of the event. As a general guide, however, past experience suggests the following is a typical breakdown:

• around $5000 for the costs associated with bringing an overseas invited speaker to talk at the workshop;

• around $3000 for venue costs and catering;
• around $5000 to be allocated as 10 $500 travel support awards for interstate participants who will present papers at the workshop; and
• around $2000 for administrative support and other costs.

Some key items of administrative support (such as the printing of name badges and other HCSNet branding elements) will be handled centrally by HCSNet staff.

In addition to the above, if the Student Support Grant is requested, this usually takes the form of 10 $500 travel awards to students who are presenting posters at the workshop.

Funding is provided as a block grant to the applicant, who is expected to set up an account at their home institution to manage all expenditure related to the event, which should be subsequently reported on in detail when the event is over.

5 The Outcomes and Directions Report

HCSNet is not able to fund research, but it can foster interactions and new collaborations that will advance and facilitate research. This is the primary goal of the Workshop Support Program. To demonstrate the extent to which this was successful, the organizers must produce, within two months of the workshop, an Outcomes and Directions Report of around 5-10 pages in length.

The Outcomes and Directions Report should:

• clearly identify the topic or issue addressed by the workshop;
• provide a self-contained 150-word summary of the event that can be used in the HCSNet Annual Report;
• on the basis of workshop discussions, point to specific future directions, or a range of views regarding future developments in the area; and
• provide specific ideas on how the area of activity could be strengthened and taken forward other than by HCSNet support alone.

The above elements of the Outcomes and Directions Report form a public document that will be made available, possibly in abridged form, via the HCSNet web site, and may be used by HCSNet in discussions with government and industry as representing an expert view on the topic in question; they should therefore be written in an accessible style.

In addition, the report should contain a not-for-publication section that provides details of attendance and a final budget; a brief description of the structure of the workshop; discussion of the aspects that worked well, and those that did not; and suggestions on how HCSNet can better support this kind of activity.

6 Timing and Location

Proposals should be for workshops scheduled to take place no later than nine months from the corresponding closing date for applications.

HCSNet imposes no restrictions on the location of workshops, although the geographic distribution of Network Participants interested in the topic may bear on this.

7 Deadlines for Expressions of Interest

There are four deadlines for workshop applications in each year:

• March 9th
• June 1st
• September 1st
• November 27th

Expressions of interest will be assessed by the HCSNet Workshops Committee, and decisions will usually be made within two weeks of the corresponding deadline. Subsequent full applications will be considered within two weeks of submission. The Committee's decisions are final.

8 Format of Applications

Initial expressions of interest should be submitted via our web-based application form. You need to be logged-in as an HCSNet member to access the form. If you are invited to submit a full proposal, this is done by augmenting the initial expression of interest with further information.